Eggplant With Tomato Mint Sauce And Goat Cheese Recipes

BAKED EGGPLANT WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400*.
• Spray a baking sheet with a non-stick spray or brush with oil for the eggplant slices.
• Wash the eggplant and slice it into thick, 1-inch slices. You should have 4 to 6 nice slices. Optional step: With a sharp paring knife, remove the peel from each slice. The skin is edible but it can be tough in larger, more mature eggplants.
• Sprinkle the eggplant slices with the salt on both sides and place them in a colander or on a plate. This will draw away the excess water and remove any bitterness from the eggplant. Let the eggplant slices sit in the salt for 30 minutes.
• While the eggplant is draining add the butter and garlic to a small skillet and cook over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant. Add the bread crumbs to the skillet and stir to coat them in the butter. Continue to cook, stirring frequently until the Panko crumbs become golden brown (about 4 to 5 minutes). Transfer the breadcrumbs to a plate.
• Rinse the eggplant slices under cold water to remove the salt. Wipe each slice dry with a paper towel and set on a plate.
• In a shallow dish or pie plate, mix the egg white, whole egg, and salt. Set aside
• Arrange the plate with the eggplant slices, the plates of eggs, and bread crumbs for assembly.
• Dip one eggplant slice into the eggs and then the bread crumbs, pressing down so the crumbs adhere. Place on the baking sheet, repeat with the remaining slices.
• Transfer the baking sheet to the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until slightly soft.
• Remove from the oven and flip each slice over. Top each slice with basil and marinara sauce. Finally, add a slice of the softened goat cheese to each eggplant slice.
• Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes. If you want to brown the tops further, turn the oven temp to broil for the last 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately

EGGPLANT WITH TOMATO-MINT SAUCE AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F. Spray 2 large baking sheets with oil spray. Arrange eggplant rounds on prepared sheets; brush lightly with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 10 minutes. Turn rounds over and bake until tender and golden, about 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes with their juices, mint and oregano and simmer until sauce thickens and is reduced to 1 3/4 cups, breaking up tomatoes with back of spoon, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon half of tomato sauce into shallow 2-quart baking dish. Arrange eggplant rounds atop sauce, overlapping slightly. Spoon remaining sauce over. Sprinkle cheese over. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with basil.

EGGPLANT ROULADES WITH GARLIC GOAT CHEESE AND ROASTED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F.
• In a small bowl, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, garlic, seasonings, and herbs. Lay the tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet and roast for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until the tomatoes look slightly dehydrated and the skins are wrinkled. Let the tomatoes cool to room temperature, then transfer them to a bowl or storage container (be sure to include any of the richly flavored tomato oil that's left on the baking sheet). These can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator (bring to room temperature before using). You may keep the tomato halves whole or chop them up.
• Place the Garlic Confit and the softened goat cheese in a small bowl and mash with a fork. Taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside until the eggplant is ready. The garlic goat cheese can be prepared the day before, but remove it from the refrigerator to soften before assembling the dish.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Combine the olive oil with the lemon juice, cumin, and a little salt and pepper.
• Brush the eggplant slices on both sides with the seasoned oil and lay them out on a baking sheet. Bake about 5 minutes, then use a metal spatula to turn the slices and continue baking until eggplant is cooked through and is a light golden brown. Leave the oven turned on.
• Remove the eggplant from the oven. Lower the oven to 350°F. Loosen the slices with a spatula and let them cool. Spread each slice with about 2 tablespoons of the goat cheese mixture and roll up from the smaller end to the larger. If you like, tie each roulade with a blanched chive. Place the roulades on a baking sheet and, when you're about ready to serve, return them to the oven for 10 minutes or until heated through. Serve the roasted tomatoes alongside the roulades.

GRILLED EGGPLANT SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Mix oil and garlic; brush onto cut sides of rolls and both sides of vegetables. Sprinkle vegetables with salt and pepper., Grill eggplant, covered, over medium heat until tender, 4-5 minutes per side. Grill tomato, covered, until lightly browned, 1-2 minutes per side. Grill rolls, cut side down, until toasted, 1-2 minutes., Spread roll bottoms with goat cheese. Top with basil, eggplant and tomato; close sandwiches.

EGGPLANT, ROASTED PEPPER, AND GOAT CHEESE TERRINE WITH PARSLEY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Arrange the eggplant slices in one layer on baking sheets, brush both sides of the eggplant with the oil, and sprinkle them with salt to taste. Broil the eggplant in batches about 4 inches from the heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until it is golden and tender, and transfer it with a metal spatula to paper towels to drain.
• Line a loaf pan, 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches, with plastic wrap, leaving a 3-inch overhang, and in it arrange the eggplant, the olive paste, the bell peppers, and the goat cheese in several layers, beginning and ending with the eggplant. Cover the eggplant with the plastic overhang, weight the terrine with a 3-to-4-pound weight (such as a loaf pan filled with canned goods), and chill it for 24 hours. (The terrine may be made 3 days in advance).
• Remove the weight, invert the terrine onto a cutting board, and discard the plastic wrap. Cut four 3/4-inch-thick slices from the terrine, pour about 2 tablespoons of the parsley sauce onto the center of each of 4 plates, tilting the plates to spread the sauce, and arrange a slice of the terrine on each plate. Garnish each serving with a parsley spring.
• To roast peppers:
• Using a long-handled fork char the peppers over an open flame, turning them, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the skins are blackened. (Or broil the peppers on the rack of a broiler pan under a preheated broiler about 2 inches from the heat, turning them every 5 minutes, for 15 to 25 minutes, or until the skins are blistered and charred.) Transfer the peppers to a bowl and let them steam, covered until they are cool enough to handle. Keeping the peppers whole, peel them starting at the blossom end, cut off the tops, and discard the seeds and ribs. (Wear rubber gloves when handling chilies.)
• Parsley sauce:
• In a blender purée the parsley and the garlic with the vinegar, the water, the oil, and salt and pepper to taste until the sauce is smooth and strain it through a fine sieve set over a small bowl, pressing hard on the solids. Makes about 1/2 cup.

EGGPLANT, TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Combine chopped tomatoes, chopped fresh basil and red wine vinegar in small bowl. Season mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat) or preheat broiler. Brush 6 largest eggplant slices lightly with olive oil (reserve remaining eggplant for another use.) Brush bread lightly with olive oil. Grill eggplant and bread until golden, about 4 minutes per side for eggplant and 2 minutes per side for bread. Arrange bread slices on plates. Spread goat cheese over, dividing evenly. Top with eggplant slices. Season with salt and pepper. Using slotted spoon, mound tomato mixture on eggplant, spread to cover and serve.